Roosevelt Islanders are invited to drop off good quality items such as clothing, toys, kitchen items, flatscreen televisions even packaged food that has not expired, and then take home good quality items that are “new-to-you" rather than adding waste to the landfill or clogging up local building systems like our underground AVAC waste tube system.

No one is required to bring something to take something — you can simply show up with a bag and see what’s free for the taking.

This event is good for our land and our wallets helping residents find items just before the holidays for free.

One of the great Roosevelt Island traditions that makes living here so special is the annual Family Halloween Parade with kids, moms, dads and other residents of all ages marching down Main Street. dressed up in their ghostly, goulish and very creative costumes (Click on full screen image at bottom right of video for better viewing of costumed parade marchers).

Many others enjoy just watching the Parade heading down Main Street.

That Roosevelt Island Halloween Parade tradition may not happen this year. Yesterday, RIOC sent out this flyer

announcing a Halloween Extravaganza taking place inside the Sportspark facility, but no mention of the Main Street Halloween Parade. Upon receiving the Halloween flyer yesterday, I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Susan Rosenthal:

Rumor going around that RIOC is cancelling the Roosevelt Island Halloween Parade.

Is that true? I don't see any mention in the Halloween flyer about the Parade. Only events in Sportspark.

If true, what is reason for cancelling the Parade?

Any statement from RIOC about the Halloween Parade.

Also, a Roosevelt Island tipster reported:

Just got confirmation that RIOC has cancelled for this year (and possibly permanently) our RI Halloween Parade down Main Street...

A RIOC spokesperson replied that the matter is being looked into and will get back to me with info.

Say it isn't so Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York...Will all of those smiling faces be turned upside down this Halloween? Is it a budgetary decision? Has there ever been a crowd count based on past Halloween Extravaganzas'? This has to be the single most locally attended event we ever have on RI....and we don't need to worry about lines at the Subway.

and:

Come on RIOC! This is a time honored tradition, for over 40+ years!! You really are just going to cancel it now and forever, without any to none community input?
What a shame. Shame on you!
The Sports Park event doesn’t compare and is not a replacement.

and:

Let RIOC KNOW DON’T CANCEL THE PARADE call tweet or stop in the office let them know how the community feels

2:15 PM - More comments from residents:

Generations of Islanders have marched in this parade and look forward to it every year! Some of us remember Al Lewis “Grandpa Munster” who lived here serving as Grand Marshall! The parade means everything to this community!

And:

Should be pretty easy to reinstate once they realize the community cares this much about it. It can’t be a huge burden or expense to shut down Main Street for an hour. The event at sports park is fun for older kids but potentially overwhelming for little ones - the parade was perfect for them, and also gave the community (especially elderly people) the opportunity to enjoy and participate by observing.

And:

Write letter , after letter, after letter, flood them with letters

UPDATE - 3:10 PM -

I thought in their view it was already a certainty. Parents network preparing to push back though. I get it that weather has been bad for last couple of years, but this is a tradition going back 35+ years. Not ok for @RIOCny to unilaterally cancel it without community input.

The parade is most definitely not being cancelled this year. We were – and still are - in the process of finalizing the program, which includes a new parade route to accommodate the new indoor location at Sportspark. We hope to release more information later on today on the new route.

UPDATE - According to RIOC:

Yesterday, we shared the news about the Roosevelt Island Halloween Extravaganza.

The Roosevelt Island Youth Center will host its first rated tournament, in partnership with the R.I. Branch Library, this Saturday, October 12th at 1 PM inside the Sportspark gymnasium, located at 250 Main Street. The free tournament is open to children ages 6-17.

Tournament Format: Swiss system tournament of 3 rounds. Timed games with 25 minutes and a 5-second delay.

Three sections:

Unrated Non-USCF Member

Under 700 USCF Member

Under 1300 USCF Member

United States Chess Federation (USCF) rated tournament for Under 700 and Under 1300 players.

If you are a member of the USCF please include your USCF ID in the registration form.

All players will receive a medal for participating and the top three players at each level will receive trophies.

Where did this $^@#$! Autonomous Car Learn to Drive? Addressing Cross-cultural differences in Autonomous Car Design.

About this Event

Today’s autonomous cars are designed to follow the letter of the local law, but do not adapt to regional variations in driving behavior. At scale, this lack of adaptation can cause accidents and cost lives. Wendy Ju will talk about recent and on-going research to understand how cross-cultural differences should inform the design of autonomous cars.

About Wendy

Wendy Ju is an Assistant Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech and in the Information Science field at Cornell University. Her work in the areas of human-robot interaction and automated vehicle interfaces highlights the ways that interactive devices can communicate and engage people without interrupting or intruding. Dr. Ju has innovated numerous methods for early-stage prototyping of automated systems to understand how people will respond to systems before the systems are built. She has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, and a Master’s in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT.

... To date, Ju has carried out most of her experiments around Stanford. She has found that people there are pretty nonchalant when they encounter robots. “A lot of people are very pro-technology and they also work in technology so they’re very much like, ‘Oh yeah, this is happening now,’” she said.

Having recently moved to New York City, she is curious to find out whether people will behave differently or the same way. One of her first projects at Cornell Tech will explore how people interact with a troupe of chair robots -— essentially chairs that can reconfigure themselves in a space. She will also carry out further on-road experiments with ghost drivers....

Japanese eggplants lacquered with berry kosho tare, baby potatoes cooked in a massam melon curry beurre blanc, each paired with exquisite wines, served at an intimate pop-up dinner on New York’s most intimate island. We're planning a very special Monday evening and you're invited.

On October 14, La Nueva Mesa kicks off a pop-up dinner series with a wine-paired six-course locally sourced plant based meal crafted by Drew Shives, Matthew Taber and Amir Dholakia- the three ex-Jean-George culinary wizards behind Beta, the wait-list only popup in Queens.

Indulge in a night to remember. Better act fast, there's limited seating and the location will only be given at time of purchase.

Presented by Shops on Main, Main Street Block Party is the first festival of its kind on Roosevelt Island’s Main Street. The event brings together neighbors and visitors of all ages to celebrate Shops on Main through food, art, festivities and fun....

Anything we can do to throw a party, help the retailers out bring people on to the streets and sidewalks....

... It's great to see people on the streets of Main Street and hopefully it'll keep up. We have a bunch of new tenants who are working to open up their spaces we have some new tenants whether it's Pup Culture or Hotpot and so our hope is that Roosevelt Islanders will continue to reinvest in their retail corridor.

Here's more from the Nisi Pancake Eating Contest

and interview with Nisi owner Alex Razaghi who says he would like to make it an annual event.

The winner of the first Roosevelt Island Pancake Eating contest was a young visitor from Brooklyn, Rufus Burns-Heath, who outlasted all the other competitors while working on his plate with numbers 10-12 pancakes served. Rufus received a Nisi $100 gift certificate for winning from Alex.

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WELCOME TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Welcome to the Roosevelt Islander Online!

Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.